Zoos Los Angeles

Linda Menary says she'll fight to preserve a last remnant of what she calls the old San Fernando Valley--even if she has to go all the way to the City Council to do it. "I own this land. I worked all my life to own this land," said Menary, as she ushered a group of schoolchildren onto the property for pony rides Thursday. "Why should I have to move?" Menary, owner of The Farm, a commercial petting zoo and pony-ride at 8108 Tampa Ave.

L.A.'s appetite for music in unconventional locales apparently knows no bounds, as Silver Lake booking institution the Fold brings eight locals together for Music in the Zoo. Post-punks Abe Vigoda, danceable new-wavers Pollyn and Hands and the teenage rockers Kitten top a nice bill of up-and-comers, but it remains to be seen if the animals will be impressed. Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park, L.A. 6 p.m. Fri. $17. (323) 644-6042. http://www.lazoo.org.

It was a sad requiem for a heavyweight. As the tusks of Hannibal the elephant sat Wednesday on a storage shelf and experts awaited word of the cause of his death, animal activists and Los Angeles Zoo officials were clashing over blame and the need for an independent investigation into the incident. A coalition of animal rights groups denounced the zoo for rushing to "dump" the rowdy, five-ton adolescent male in Mexico and called for a special "oversight committee" to examine zoo policies.

The operator of a Reseda pony ride and petting zoo is suing the city of Los Angeles, two animal regulation officers and an animal-rights advocate in connection with a case in which the operator was suspected of cruelty to animals. Linda Menary, who operates The Farm on Tampa Avenue, alleges that the defendants in the suit trespassed on her land March 2, when the officers confiscated nine ponies and horses. She is also suing the city and the animal regulation officers for false arrest.

Ten months after Warren Thomas announced his resignation as the head of the Los Angeles Zoo, the troubled city-owned facility is still without a director and the leading candidate for the job has bowed out, saying housing costs are too high and the pay is too low. City officials said Thursday they will renew the search for a director and will push the City Council to raise the salary.

You know what really bugs Arthur Evans? It's when his friends are accused of vandalism at Los Angeles County's Museum of Natural History. Evans is head of the museum's new Insect Zoo. And his friends are the 3,500 cockroaches, crickets and other crawly critters that he has spent 2 1/2 years gathering for the $465,000 exhibit. The new zoo opens Saturday. But Evans has already learned that he must keep swatting at misconceptions that buzz like flies around his unusual collection.

The operator of a Reseda pony ride and petting zoo is suing the city of Los Angeles, two animal regulation officers and an animal-rights advocate in connection with a case in which the operator was suspected of cruelty to animals. Linda Menary, who operates The Farm on Tampa Avenue, alleges that the defendants in the suit trespassed on her land March 2, when the officers confiscated nine ponies and horses. She is also suing the city and the animal regulation officers for false arrest.

When Mark Goldstein became executive director of Boston's Franklin Park Zoo in 1987, the facility was barely surviving amid dwindling funds, fractious politics and a reputation as one of the worst zoos in America. By the time he stepped down in July, the zoo had opened a popular $26-million African tropical forest exhibit and won accreditation for the first time from the prestigious American Assn. of Zoological Parks and Aquariums.

The owner of a Reseda petting zoo appealed for public support in her battle to keep her business open, and said that if the Los Angeles City Council votes, as expected, to close her down next week, she "would have no other choice" but to continue her fight in the courts. "This is our last chance," said Linda Menary, owner of The Farm on Tampa Avenue, at a press conference she called on her property Tuesday morning. A handful of media people showed up.

L.A.'s appetite for music in unconventional locales apparently knows no bounds, as Silver Lake booking institution the Fold brings eight locals together for Music in the Zoo. Post-punks Abe Vigoda, danceable new-wavers Pollyn and Hands and the teenage rockers Kitten top a nice bill of up-and-comers, but it remains to be seen if the animals will be impressed. Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park, L.A. 6 p.m. Fri. $17. (323) 644-6042. http://www.lazoo.org.

The owner of a Reseda petting zoo appealed for public support in her battle to keep her business open, and said that if the Los Angeles City Council votes, as expected, to close her down next week, she "would have no other choice" but to continue her fight in the courts. "This is our last chance," said Linda Menary, owner of The Farm on Tampa Avenue, at a press conference she called on her property Tuesday morning. A handful of media people showed up.

Linda Menary says she'll fight to preserve a last remnant of what she calls the old San Fernando Valley--even if she has to go all the way to the City Council to do it. "I own this land. I worked all my life to own this land," said Menary, as she ushered a group of schoolchildren onto the property for pony rides Thursday. "Why should I have to move?" Menary, owner of The Farm, a commercial petting zoo and pony-ride at 8108 Tampa Ave.

You know what really bugs Arthur Evans? It's when his friends are accused of vandalism at Los Angeles County's Museum of Natural History. Evans is head of the museum's new Insect Zoo. And his friends are the 3,500 cockroaches, crickets and other crawly critters that he has spent 2 1/2 years gathering for the $465,000 exhibit. The new zoo opens Saturday. But Evans has already learned that he must keep swatting at misconceptions that buzz like flies around his unusual collection.

It was a sad requiem for a heavyweight. As the tusks of Hannibal the elephant sat Wednesday on a storage shelf and experts awaited word of the cause of his death, animal activists and Los Angeles Zoo officials were clashing over blame and the need for an independent investigation into the incident. A coalition of animal rights groups denounced the zoo for rushing to "dump" the rowdy, five-ton adolescent male in Mexico and called for a special "oversight committee" to examine zoo policies.

When Mark Goldstein became executive director of Boston's Franklin Park Zoo in 1987, the facility was barely surviving amid dwindling funds, fractious politics and a reputation as one of the worst zoos in America. By the time he stepped down in July, the zoo had opened a popular $26-million African tropical forest exhibit and won accreditation for the first time from the prestigious American Assn. of Zoological Parks and Aquariums.

Ten months after Warren Thomas announced his resignation as the head of the Los Angeles Zoo, the troubled city-owned facility is still without a director and the leading candidate for the job has bowed out, saying housing costs are too high and the pay is too low. City officials said Thursday they will renew the search for a director and will push the City Council to raise the salary.

The Los Angeles Zoo and six others across the country has transferred ownership to the Brazilian government of about 400 endangered golden lion tamarins, natives to Amazon rain forests. But the strawberry blond, squirrel-sized primates--named for their lion-like manes and tails--will remain in the U. S. zoos.

A federal appeals court, rejecting arguments from environmentalists, ruled today that government wildlife officials may capture wild California condors in an effort to save the rare species from extinction. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia lifted an injunction that had stopped the Fish and Wildlife Service from bringing the birds in from the wild.